Tell it Proud

Christina Blacken
  • 5.0 (28)
  • Self-Improvement
  • Updated Weekly

Our brains are wired to focus on what is wrong, but this means we often miss the cultural and ethical wisdom right in front of us about what is working, good, and new to find real solutions to our problems. This podcast features inspiring personal development tips and stories of overlooked ethical and cultural wisdom told live from incredible unconventional leaders, as well as curated from original poetry, social justice book reviews, and overlooked historical recaps, written and produced by Christina Blacken, founder of The New Quo Learning Community, which is a weekly email newsletter and monthly coaching community that helps mission driven folks use the power of personal storytelling and overlooked ethical and cultural wisdom to create a better future. The Tell it Proud podcast will inspire you with overlooked topics that crusty, inequitable leaders often want erased or ignored, because they change the status-quo for the better. *Formally known as the Sway Them In Color Podcast, which you can find older episodes of with that title.

  1. 2h ago

    This Here Flesh

    Today's episode is an essay I wrote for The New Quo Learning Community of a review of an incredible book by Cole Arthur Riley called This Here Fles. It's a poetic masterpiece of personal storytelling focused on discovering and practicing the wisdom and lessons within our familial stories, generational wounds, and personal experiences, so we can liberate ourselves from beliefs and practices that harm us and others. It's a work of art that grounds the practices of liberation in personal spirituality.

    19 min
  2. You Might Also Like: NO SUCH THING

    3h ago ·  Bonus

    You Might Also Like: NO SUCH THING

    Introducing Are dentists scamming us? We investigate from NO SUCH THING. Follow the show: NO SUCH THING On today’s episode, we tackle a question we’ve all wondered: Are dentists scamming us? We dive into the dark history of dentistry, find out why dental insurance sucks, hear from someone who uncovered a dentist drilling teeth for profit, and talk to a startup founder who’s looking to upend the whole industry.  Lilly Kaplan — licensed therapist and Reality Test newsletter author — sits in for Manny this week. Listen to: Do you need therapy? (ft. Lilly)  Our guests this week are:  AJ Jacobs, journalist and New York Times bestseller.  Dr. Sarah Stuefen, general dentist in Iowa and spokesperson for the American Dental Association. Dr. Cheryline Pezzullo, general dentist and clinical associate professor.  Dr. Brandon Zeidler, doctor of dental surgery. Tyler Burnett, cofounder of Wally Health. For links to research and more, check out our newsletter.  Have a question you want us to answer or a dentist story you want to share? Email us at mannynoahdevan@gmail.com or leave a voicemail at ‪(860) 325-0286 See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. DISCLAIMER: Please note, this is an independent podcast episode not affiliated with, endorsed by, or produced in conjunction with the host podcast feed or any of its media entities. The views and opinions expressed in this episode are solely those of the creators and guests. For any concerns, please reach out to team@podroll.fm.

  3. May 28 ·  Video

    Courage to go against the justice system

    This episode of Tell it Proud is an instagram live interview of TaShun Bowden-Lewis, who made a historic first in her career as the first Black Chief Public Defender for the state of Connecticut. We discuss her earliest memory of courage as an "only" growing up in an all white school, her lessons from defending the most vulnerable, and what she calls the pivot under pressure when facing adversity.

    26 min

  4. May 22

    How fear affects our relationships

    Welcome to Tell it Proud, stories of courage too good to erase or ignore. I'm your host Christina Blacken. I'm a public speaker, performer, writer, and founder of The New Quo which helps every day people practice authentic leadership through daily acts of courage that improves trust and wellbeing in how we live and work together.   If you felt a stomach dropping, heart skipping clutch of fear at any point today, I'm guessing you weren't zig zagging from a wild beast trying to catch you, you were experiencing what I've dubbed MPTs or Modern Protection Thoughts (acronyms are fun). These MPTs are typically a daily, even hourly, occurrence and can be triggered by having to make any decision that has potential risks or downsides. They come alive as nagging voices of doubt, anxiety, or panic that can make you sweat plate sized pit stains through your shirt (hopefully it's not a button up shirt, because you can't hide shit with a button up shirt). This fear can even stifle you from doing, saying, or being the "wrong thing." This episode addresses how to overcome MPTs to have a healthier relationship with fear and others overall.

    10 min

  5. May 16

    See No Stranger

    Welcome to Tell it Proud, stories of courage too good to erase or ignore. I'm your host Christina Blacken. I'm a public speaker, performer, writer, and founder of The New Quo which helps every day people practice authentic leadership through daily acts of courage that improves trust and wellbeing in how we live and work together. Today's episode is an essay I wrote for The New Quo Learning Community of a review of an incredible book by Valarie Kaur's called "See No Stranger" This book is both an intimate memoir and a practical guide for social change, centered on her concept of "revolutionary love." Drawing from her experiences as a Sikh American, civil rights lawyer, filmmaker, and activist, Kaur presents revolutionary love as a powerful framework for personal and social transformation in divided times, so clearly this book is relevant at this time.

    13 min

  6. May 7

    The Underground Railroad Went to Mexico

    The Underground Railroad was a secret network of routes, safe houses, and abolitionists who helped enslaved people escape from slavery to freedom in the northern states, Canada, and Mexico from approximately the late 18th century until the Civil War, with one of its most famous stewards being Harriet Tubman, who was an abolitionist, social activist, and a formally enslaved person. It's no surprise that many people do not know that this route didn't just go north to freedom, as has been told in many adaptations and historical recounts of the Underground Railroad, but further south across borders into Mexico.    This episode covers more of that overlooked history and the incredible lessons we can take from how this had an impact on our world today.

    11 min

  7. Apr 29

    a life of hope under extreme circumstances

    Welcome to Tell it Proud, stories of courage too good to erase or ignore. I'm your host Christina Blacken. I'm a public speaker, performer, writer, and founder of The New Quo which helps every day people practice authentic leadership through daily acts of courage that improves trust and wellbeing in how we live and work together. Today's episode is an essay I wrote for The New Quo Learning Community about Phillis Wheatley who was an American writer who was the first African-American author of a published book of poetry. She was captured and enslaved at a young age, overcoming significant oppression to express her voice and create a poetry legacy.  If you'd like to further support this podcast and connect with other like minded people join The New Quo Learning Community.

    7 min

  8. Apr 24

    You don't have to be Beyonce to be Creative

    Welcome to Tell it Proud, stories of courage too good to erase or ignore. I'm your host Christina Blacken. I'm a public speaker, performer, writer, and founder of The New Quo which helps every day people practice authentic leadership through daily acts of courage that improves trust and wellbeing in how we live and work together. Today's episode is an essay I wrote for The New Quo Learning Community about why you don't have to be a super talented famous person like Beyonce or Picasso to find fulfillment and deep meaning in creative thinking and creative work. We need to expand what we define and think of as creative because we are facing a world with a large dissatisfaction with work, and complex, towering social problems that won't disappear overnight. We need creativity for survival, like we need air. If you'd like to further support this podcast and connect with other like minded people join The New Quo Learning Community.

    10 min
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5
out of 5
28 Ratings

About

Our brains are wired to focus on what is wrong, but this means we often miss the cultural and ethical wisdom right in front of us about what is working, good, and new to find real solutions to our problems. This podcast features inspiring personal development tips and stories of overlooked ethical and cultural wisdom told live from incredible unconventional leaders, as well as curated from original poetry, social justice book reviews, and overlooked historical recaps, written and produced by Christina Blacken, founder of The New Quo Learning Community, which is a weekly email newsletter and monthly coaching community that helps mission driven folks use the power of personal storytelling and overlooked ethical and cultural wisdom to create a better future. The Tell it Proud podcast will inspire you with overlooked topics that crusty, inequitable leaders often want erased or ignored, because they change the status-quo for the better. *Formally known as the Sway Them In Color Podcast, which you can find older episodes of with that title.

Information

  • Creator
    Christina Blacken
  • Years Active
    2019 - 2026
  • Episodes
    73
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © The New Quo 2025
  • Show Website
    Tell it Proud

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